The Ukraine War and ongoing tensions in the Middle East have exposed a technological revolution reshaping modern warfare: the rise of cheap drones. These developments, along with AI-powered decision-making and the growing importance of resilient supply chains, are increasingly occupying the minds of military strategists — from great powers to smaller upstarts.
IBM and the US Department of Commerce (DoC) announced a Letter of Intent (LOI) to build an American quantum chip foundry, securing the nation's global quantum leadership and fueling the country's growing quantum ecosystem. The CHIPS incentive from the DoC will support the research and development efforts of a new IBM company: Anderon, which will be America's first pure-play quantum foundry. This initiative represents one of the most significant commitments by the US Government to date in quantum R&D to position the US to manufacture most of the world's quantum wafers.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said he expects Chinese authorities to eventually allow imports of US artificial intelligence (AI) chips, according to Bloomberg Television. Still, the remarks also underscored the growing implications of export controls that have weakened Nvidia's position in China while creating opportunities for domestic rival Huawei Technologies and other local suppliers.
Lenovo reported a 27% increase in revenue for the fourth quarter of its 2026 fiscal year, which ended March 31, as demand tied to artificial intelligence (AI) helped lift results across the company.
AMD CEO Lisa Su said the company is satisfied with its current CoWoS supply from TSMC, while noting that memory has become another pressure point in the AI chip supply chain.
Amid the continued crowding-out effect of artificial intelligence (AI) demand, IC distributor WPG Holdings said memory shortages and rising prices are weakening end-product sales momentum, and forecast that smartphone and PC production will shift from flat growth to a decline in 2026.
Win Win Precision is reshaping its business around semiconductor consumables and overseas renewable energy, a strategic pivot that could tighten global supply chains and accelerate green energy deployment. Investors, manufacturers, and policymakers worldwide stand to be affected by its capacity expansion, raw-material strategies, and growing presence in Europe, Australia, and Taiwan's green-power market.
AI-driven demand and other emerging technologies kept Taiwan's export momentum strong in the first quarter of 2026, with exports reaching US$195.74 billion, rising 51% year on year. Economic growth hit 13.69%, the highest quarterly growth in 39 years. Taiwan's GDP is forecast to reach NT$32 trillion (US$1.02 trillion) in 2026.
Nvidia's record revenue, profit, and margins are masking growing strain across its supply chain, as increasingly compressed product cycles and surging AI demand force suppliers to accelerate development, boost spending, and manage rising quality risks, according to executives and industry observers tracking preparations for the company's next-generation AI platforms.
China's three major telecom operators introduced token-based billing plans in May as they packaged large-model inference resources into standardized products for consumers, developers, and enterprises, signaling a shift toward mass-market AI compute services. China Telecom rolled out a nationwide group-level token package on May 17 with tiered plans for individual and household users, developers, small and medium-sized enterprises, and ecosystem partners; its lowest-priced individual plan costs CNY9.9 (US$1.46) per month for access to 10 million tokens.
Samsung Electronics and its union signed a provisional agreement late at night, about an hour before a scheduled May 21 strike, averting an industry estimate of more than KRW100 trillion (approx. US$66.8 billion) in supply chain disruption. The deal eases an immediate labor crisis but leaves unresolved structural conflicts and rising personnel costs.
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